COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Penn State Mont Alto wins season opener

From the moment Cameron Bowens scored the game’s first points, it was off to the races for the Penn State Mont Alto men’s basketball team.

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By Lee Goodwin

Waynesboro Record Herald - Waynesboro, PA

By Lee Goodwin

Posted Nov. 13, 2012 at 9:38 AM
Updated Nov 13, 2012 at 9:42 AM

By Lee Goodwin

Posted Nov. 13, 2012 at 9:38 AM
Updated Nov 13, 2012 at 9:42 AM

MONT ALTO — From the moment Cameron Bowens scored the game’s first points, it was off to the races for the Penn State Mont Alto men’s basketball team.

Bowens finished with a game-high 24 points and the Lions built a 42-21 halftime lead en route to an 88-47 non-conference win against visiting Christendom Monday night.

Mont Alto dominated the game inside the paint against undersized Christendom, capitalizing on second-chance points and using an aggressive interior game to produce free throw opportunities. The Lions visited the foul line 31 times (making 20).

“Last year we were not very big,” said second-year Mont Alto head coach Jack Schenzel. “Derek Null, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Waynesboro, was the biggest kid we had. We recruited this year 6-foot-7 Collin Easter, and Jeremiah (Mitchell) is back. So, with those three, we’re able to do a lot more under the basket with offensive rebounds and transition. It frees up our shooters. Last year our shooters got crowded because they didn’t have to worry about anything under the basket.”

Mitchell scored 10 points and Easter chipped in with nine points for Mont Alto (1-0), which hosts the John Benchoff Tournament this weekend.

The only thing that kept this game from getting even more out of hand in the early going was the three-point shooting of Christendom. Ryan Tappe hit a three to make the score 8-3 and end a scoring drought. Tim McPhee drained back to back trifecta’s to keep the game close at 17-11 with just under nine minutes left in the first half.

But Mont Alto’s physical style of play and overall speed began to wear on the Crusaders, which made the trip from Front Royal, Va. for the game on a balmy November night. Leading 19-12 with 6:02 remaining in the first half, Mont Alto’s Kevin King sank a 3-pointer and then added two free throws. Freshman Corey Meyers, a 2012 graduate of Greencastle-Antrim High School, made his debut with Mont Alto and drained a trey to extend the lead to 27-12.

Meyers finished with eight points, including another 3-pointer that gave the Lions a 35-20 lead. It was 37-20 after Null dished to Mitchell, who converted the pass into a layup. King, who scored 17 points, ended the first-half scoring with a pair of free throws.

Christendom was sparked by three-point shooting in the second half as the Crusaders outscored Mont Alto 11-2 in the early going to cut the deficit to 45-32. The Lions came back strong after a time out and continued to pull away.

“The other thing that is encouraging is we did this tonight with probably our best player who didn’t play a second,” Schenzel said. “Sharif Welton, our big recruit, broke his hand a couple weeks ago in practice and we’re hoping to have him back Friday.

Page 2 of 2 - “For the most part the guys played really hard. The group enjoys playing for each other. That’s something we can build on as the season goes along. We’re excited about our roster. If we can play disciplined on offense and defense, we’re going to be all right.”